Gas-engine



Patented. Oct. 29, 1895.

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GAS ENGINE.

(No Model.)

PATENT Ormea.

GEORGE F. CONNER, OF RACINE, I'VISCONSIN.

GAS-E NGINE.

SPEUIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 548,628, dated October29, 1895.

Application filed January 5, 1895- Seral No. 533,910 (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. (DONNER, a resident of Racine, in thecounty of Racine and State of Y'Visconsin, have invented certain newanduseful Improvements in Gas-Engines; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomalte and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in gas-engines, and moreparticularly to that class known in the art as explosive-gas enginesf7one object of the invention being to so construct a gas-engine that itwill serve as its own balance-wheeL A further object is to so constructan engine that the explosive shall be carried by the engine andautomatically supplied to the pistons of the engine during the operationof the same. Y

A further object is to produce a multiplecylinder engine constructed andadapted to revolve bodily and carry fluid to operate the engine; and theinvention consists in certain novel features of construction andcombinations and arrangements of parts, as hereinafter set forth, andpointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a side elevation, partly insection and partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a plan view.

A A represent suit-able standards, in which a shaft B, having acrank-arm B', is fixed. A wheel or drum O is mounted to revolve on theshaft B, and to the inner face of this Wheel or drum a series ofcylindersD (four being shown in the drawings.) is secured, within eachof which a piston D is located and adapted to reciprocate. Each pistonispreferably provided with two rods b b, the rods ofdiametrically-opposite pistons being connected with a common cross-headc. Each cross-head is made with an elongated opening d, in which a blocke is adapted to slide, and both blocks e are mounted on the crank-arm Bof the shaft.

In explosive-gas engines the great heat created by the continuousexploding of the gas tends to heat the cylinder and parts which operatetherein to a very high degree, and thus seriously affect the successfuloperation of the engine. To overcome this dilhculty and prevent thecylinder from becoming abnormally hot, it has been proposed to surroundit by a water-jacket and to provide apparatus whereby to cause acirculation of water through said jacket. Such apparatus is expensiveand the results accomplished have not been thoroughly satisfactory. Inorder to prevent the abnormal or over heating of the cylinders, Ipropose to surround them with water jackets or chambers f, through whicha series of air-tubes f passes, so that wh en the engine is in motioncurrents of air will be made to pass through said lines and maintain thetemperature of the Water, and consequently the cylinder, at a lowdegree. The pistons, piston-rods, and cross-heads are made hollow andfilled with water to prevent them from becoming abnormally heated.

Tanks .E are secured to the wheel C between the cylinders D and adaptedto contain gasoline or other hydrocarbon fluid, which is conductedtherefrom by means of pipes g to valve-chambers or pipes h, which lattercommunicate at one end with the outer ends of the respective cylinders.The pipes or chambers h are open at their inner ends for the admissionof air, which mixes with the gasoline as it enters the cylinder, and aremade of a length to extend, preferably, beyoud the inner ends of thecylinders, so that as the engine revolves air will be drawn into them bycentrifugal action or suction. Another pipe or valve-chamber Q1communicates with each cylinder for receiving the exhausted or burnedgas.

Within the respective pipes or chambers h i valves h 'z are located, thevalve h being located in the pipe or chamber h at a point above orbeyond where the pipe g from the tank or reservoir E communicatestherewith. Valve-rods h2 t2 project inwardly from the valves, and attheir inner extremities are provided with rollers h3 3, which aremaintained normally in contact with the respective peripheries h4 t4 ofa cam F, which latter is mounted loosely on the shaft B and for a reasonhereinafter explained made to rotate one-half as fast as the engine. Inorder to cause the cam to thus rotate, abevel-pinion j is looselymounted in an opening therein and projects from the respective facesthereof, said pinion meshing, respectively, with bevel-gears lo Z,

ICO

the gear 7i: being secured to the wheel C and the gear Z being keyed tothe crank-shaft B. From this arrangement of gearing it is apendagainstthewheel C. From thisconstruc-y c tion and arrangement of partsit will be seen knifeedge ms, adapted to be engaged by they knife-edgem4 of an arm m5, secured to the valve stem or rod h2. A weighted orcentrifugal governor n is pivotally connected at n to the cylinder D orwater-jacket and provided with a downwardly or inwardly pro-k jectingarm '712, to the free end of which one end ,ofa rod n3 is pivoiallyconnected, the

other end of said rod being pivotally con nected to the arm m2. The armsfm2 m5 are `maintained normallyin line with each other by means of aspring o, which 'bears at one` end against the governor n. and at theother f that when the valve-rod hzis moved out- Wardly bythe ,cam Fk thearm 'mwill push against the arm 'm2 and cause the valve m ink the pipe gtobe opened to admit gasoline into the valve-chamber, theontwardmovement ofk saidrod ,also opening the valve h and permitting thecharge of gasoline and air which sistance of the spring o, and thuscause the arm mzto move out of the path of the arm mD, so that the valvem in the gasoline-supply pipe cannot be operated to admit more gasolineto the pipe or chamber h until the engine again assumes its normalspeed.

Itis of course to be understood that each cylinder will be provided Withmechanism for admitting the explosive to the cylinder and controllingthe same, and will be duplicated for the various cylinders.

It will be seen that When the wheel C, carrying the cylinder D,revolves, the pistons D', being connected With the stationarycrankshaft, Will reciprocate in said cylinders. The irst part of thestroke of a given piston will act to draw into the respective cylinderthe carburcted air, the valves being operated to permit such operation,as above explained, and the second part of the stroke will serve tocompress said carbureted air. At this point the gas Will be exploded byan electrical spark between the points at p or by means of the usualincandescent tube, if desired. At the first half of the second.revolution of the engine the impulse of the exploding gas will beimparted to the engine as it expands.

- its inertia.

Should the speed of the engine be come abnormal, the governor n willmove out- Wardly by centrifugal action against the `re' During the lasthalf of the second revolution of the'engine the burned gaswillbeforcedout of the cylinder through the pipe or chamber fi, the Valve rl' insaid pipe or chamber being operated by the eccentric' periphery of thecam F. It will thus be seen that but one explosion of gas occurs in agiven cylinder during two revolutions of theengine. Hence the necessityof causingthe cam F, which operates the valves, to make one revolution`Jto two of the engine.

In the usual type of gas-engines `where but one cylinder is employed andoneexplosion to two revolutions of the engine it is neces` `sary to. usevery heavy balancenyheels to secure uniform motion. XVith myengine thebalance-Wheel is dispensed with, and the wholeengine serves as its ownbalance-wheel,

having the Weight of the ceolingr apparatus and gasoline tanks orreservoirs to increase each revolutionk ofthe engine, thus giving acontinuons series ofimpulses and causing a continuous and uniformrotation oftheen gine. I do not, however, Wish to limit myself toanyparticular number of cylinders,

and Where an odd number of cylindersis employed the pistons willpreferably be pio videdwith single rods connectedk i'ndepend` ently tothe crank-arm B.

My improvements are very simpleand coinpact in constructionandareeffectual in all respects in the performance of rtheir functions.

rHaving fully described my'invention, what kl claim as new, anddesire tosecure byLetters revolve bodily and carry its supply of fuel with it,substantially as set forth.

2. In an engine, the combination with a iiXed crank shaft, a Wheelmounted and adapted to revolve thereon, power cylinders carried by thisWheel, and supply reservoirs for the fuel carried by the wheel, thesereservoirs in communication with the cylinders, whereby to supply themwith explosive, substantially as set forth.

3. In an engine, the combination with a fixed shaft, of a Wheel mountedto turn thereon, radial cylinders carried by the Wheel, Water jacketssurrounding these cylinders and air passages extending through thesejackets to the periphery of the Wheel whereby the motion of the wheelcreates a suction to cause a constant circulation of air through the airpassages, substantially as set forth.

4. In a gas engine, the combination with a fixed crank shaft and a Wheelrevolubly mounted thereon, of a series of cylinders secured to saidWheel, reservoirs secured to said Wheel for containing hydrocarbon,valve chambers com municating with said cylinders, pipes connecting saidreservoirs with the valve chambers, means for controlling the sup ply ofgas to the cylinders, and pistons in said By my arrangement of engineexplosions in two cylinderswilloccur duringkk {@5. l. Anenginefconstructed andadapted to cylinders connected with the crankshaft, subsantially as set forth.

5. In a gas engine, the combination with a crank shaft and a wheelmounted thereon, of a series of cylinders secured to said wheel, pistonsin the cylinders and connected with the crank shaft, oil reservoirssecured to the wheel, valve chambers communicating with the cylindersand With said oil reservoirs, said valve chambers being Open at one endto admit air, and means for controlling the passage of air and oil fromsaid valve chambers into the cylinders, substantially as set forth.

6. In a gas engine, the combination with a fixed crank shaft and a Wheelmounted thereon, of a series of cylinders secured to the Wheel, pistonsin said cylinders and connected with the crank shaft, chamberscommunicating at one end with the cylinders and open at their otherends, said chambers extending some distance inwardly toward the centerof the wheel so as to create suction to draw air into them when theengine revolves, and means for controlling the admission of air and oilinto the cylinders, substantially as set' forth.

7. In a gas engine, the combination with a fixed crank shaft and a wheelmounted thereon, of a series of cylinders secured to said wheel, pistonsiu said cylinders and connected with the crank shaft, oil reservoirscarried by the wheel, chambers communicating with the cylinders and withsaid reservoirs, said chambers being adapted toadmit air, a valve ineach chamber, a cam to operate said valves,

. and means for causing said cam to revolve at one-half the speed of theengine, substantially as set forth.

8. In a gas engine,the combination with a fixed crank shaft, of a Wheelmounted thereon, cylinders secured to said Wheel, pistons in saidcylinders and connected with the crank shaft, an inlet valve chamber andan outlet valve chamber communicating with each cylinder, valves in saidchambers, a cam adapted 'to operate said valves, a pinion mountedloosely in said cam and gear Wheels meshing with said pinion, one ofsaid gear Wheels being secured to the crank shaft and the other to theWheel, whereby to cause said cam to rotate at one-half the speed of theengine, substantially as set forth.

9. In a gas engine, the combination with a fixed crank shaft and a wheelmounted thereon, of a series of cylinders secured to said wheel, pistonsin said cylinders and connected with said crank shaft, oil reservoirscarried by the Wheel, valve chambers communicating with the cylinders atone end thereof and open at the other end to admit air, valves in saidchambers, means for operating said valves, a pipe for conducting oilfrom said reservoirs to said valve chambers, a valve in each pipe, anarm carried by the stem of the first-mentioned valve, an arm carried bythe valve in said pipe and adapted to be engaged by said first-mentionedarm, and a centrifugal governor connected with the arm connected withthe valve in the oil supply pipe, so that when the engine reaches anabnormal speed the governor Will act to move the arm connected with thevalve in the supply pipe out of line with the arm carried by the sternof the first-mentioned valve, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing Witnesses.

GEORGE F. CONNER. Vitnesses:

ERAsTUs C. PncK, ALBERT L. ANDERSON.

